Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life novel Chapter 648

"Hmm... the answer to that question..." Orla paused deliberately, then answered smoothly, "It's divided into axons and dendrites."

As soon as she finished speaking, the scoreboard behind her ticked up by one.

Orla looked calm, but only she knew how tight her heart had felt just moments ago. That question was a real curveball; she almost didn't nail it. Thankfully, she did.

She had underestimated Darcy before. In front of a nationwide, even global audience, Orla couldn't afford to slip up. She was aiming for nothing less than a landslide victory.

Darcy, just wait. Soon, you won't even get a chance to ask questions.

Hiding her darker thoughts, she lifted her head and faced the camera with a pure, innocent smile. "Now it's my turn to ask a question."

She drew a topic from physiology and, after pretending to think for a moment, said, "Blood is a red, opaque, viscous liquid flowing through our blood vessels and heart. What functions does it serve?"

Darcy furrowed her brows and thought for a moment. "It regulates body temperature and maintains osmotic pressure and acid-base balance."

As she finished, a big red X flashed on the large screen behind her.

"Sis, you missed a part. It also transports nutrients," Orla said with a light laugh.

Since Darcy got it wrong, Orla got to ask the next question too.

"The constant number of red blood cells in circulation, the LH surge at the end of the follicular phase during the menstrual cycle, and the maintenance of a relatively constant body temperature — which of these are examples of negative feedback regulation?"

Her questions got trickier, making Darcy sweat bullets. The more flustered she got, the harder it was to think. Everything was a blur in her mind.

She managed to blurt out just before the system marked her answer as a forfeit: "It's the constant number of red blood cells in circulation."

Orla's smile was loaded with meaning.